UK Government Invests in Advertising to Boost British Export

Last week, the British government announced plans for two large marketing campaigns to put British export in the spotlights.

Next to increasing the cultural and media purse from £1.1 to £1.2 billion for 2014-2015, website The Drum, says the UK government has revealed their plans for a new marketing and communications campaign concerning Britain’s export.

In her article on the website, Ishbel Macleod states that the campaign will aim to promote UK Export Finance’s products and services. Although Macleod points out that the expenses for the campaign itself were not mentioned, the finances for the financial services trade and investment will grow by £2.8 million in 2014-2015.

The government’s decision to invest more money in the export sector does not come out of the blue, Macleod says: it follows a suggestion made by the Advertising Association, which suggested advertising might solve the UK’s export gap.

[Example of recent Exporting is Great advertising campaign from UKTI]

According to the association, SME exporting is greatly hindered by uncertainty over demand. Moreover, if the UK export would be in line with the EU average, the economy in the country would receive an extra £40 billion.

The communications director of the association, Ian Barber, believes that a strong advertising sector could benefit the British export greatly, which is why the government and UKTI should help SMEs investigate opportunities abroad.

According to Macleod, the government will also attempt to attract more foreign students to the UK by expanding their “Education is GREAT” campaign. This was announced by chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, in hopes of strengthening the UK’s image as one of the best countries the world to study in.

In addition to this campaign, Macleod reveals the government will also invest an additional £42 million in the Alan Turing Institute, which collects, organises and analyses Big Data. This investment is meant for businesses that wish to optimise their manufacturing processes, marketing and services.